While the band In Common is a collective of Matthew Stevens/g, Micah Thomas/p, Linda May Han Oh/b, Nate Smith/dr and Walter Smith III/ts, this album makes an excellent case for Smith to be one of the most important of this generation’s tenor saxists. His horn has warmed up consistently over the last few years, glowing over the nice cadence of the post bopping “Lotto” and fluffy during his intro to the elliptical “Van Der Linde” along with Thomas’ splashy ivories. He chimes together brilliantly with Stevens during the mid tempo “Provinces” and dots and dashes out the pulse with Thomas over Smith’s clever drum work on “General George Washington”. Oh and Thomas create a rich cadence along with Smith’s cheerful drum work on the pretty “Clem” and they rustle on the restless “Opera”. I’ve seen Smith and Oh numerous times in various bands, and this album reminds me to look for them next time around, either together or in this satisfying band.